Monthly Archives: May 2013

Camera model: Nikon D4, Exposure time: 1/500s, Aperture: F4, ISO speed: 400, Lens 300mm Telephoto It’s the first time I’ve photographed the Tuesday night football and I enjoyed it; we literally turned up at the football straight from the plane with our bags and everything! I didn’t even know Novak Djokovic was playing to be honest until I saw him on the pitch – he didn’t turn up until five minutes before and played the whole match. We got some nice pictures and having not shot football before I was quite pleased with my results. Here you’ve got two guys at the top of their respective sports playing a different one altogether as Fernando holds back Djokovic while Perez looks on. It was a good charity event and I’m glad I got the shot; it was a great way to start the weekend.

Top image – Camera model: Nikon D4, Exposure time: 1/640s, Aperture: F8, ISO speed: 400, Lens 24-70mm Zoom Roscoe was quite funny because we missed him in Barcelona and getting a photo has been on my list for ages! In Monaco Lewis was walking round with him quite openly, and this was great because Lewis went to the toilet and was upstairs for a bit and Roscoe stayed there guarding the garage! Then he took him down to the first corner for a wee as there’s a little grass area there before he took him in to the paddock. It’s just a great shot of him guarding the garage – I’ve had to crop out the names as it said Nico Rosberg above the garage but it is actually Lewis’ side he is in front of – and he’s waiting for him so obediently. Then I shouted at him and he looked over at me.

Camera model: Nikon D4, Exposure time: 1/2000s, Aperture: F7.1, ISO speed: 400, Lens 70-200mm Zoom I shot the start from a hospitality suite courtesy of my friend Dave – I need to thank him but don’t want everyone asking him for access! – and you can get so much from up there. I could see Chilton coming out of the chicane and I got it right from the very beginning because I was following it the whole way. I think it’s the first time I’ve used the 12 frames per second mode on my Nikon D4 and something like that is where it really comes in. I just kept my finger down and got it from when they touched right through to the end.

Camera model: Nikon D4, Exposure time: 1/1000s, Aperture: F8, ISO speed: 200, Lens 10.5mm Fisheye This is from the same point as the crash sequence so again thanks to Dave who runs a hospitality suite; it’s a great place for me to be. You can get the start, the run up to Ste Devote, out of the tunnel and through Tabac and the swimming pool section all from one shot. I shot the start here last year with Grosjean’s crash which was great, but I like getting up in the buildings and am always looking for new locations to shoot from. This is with my new 10mm fisheye lens, which just enables you to get the whole of Monaco in from there.

Camera model: Nikon D4, Exposure time: 1/320s, Aperture: F8, ISO speed: 800, Lens 24-70mm Zoom I like this shot because someone lit it with their flash from the side and the champagne has just started being sprayed. Rosberg had just come from the interview pen and the guys were celebrating with him. We didn’t need the trophies with it because the pit board and the emotions told the story, and it was good that Lewis was there and joined in even though he wasn’t happy because he didn’t make it on to the podium. It’s a tight pit lane and the boxes all had to be moved to make space to do the shot. Afterwards Rosberg was lifted up on to the shoulders of his team members and it was just a good little celebration.

Camera model: Nikon D4, Exposure time: 1/125s, Aperture: F5.0, ISO speed: 400, Lens 24-70mm Zoom This was after the race, and it was a real privilege to have Seb using our photos. He’s one of the few grand prix drivers who are in to the history of the sport and he’s ordered lots of prints from us of all the world champions. I didn’t get a chance to ask him why he chose the 1960-61 photos – it was all to do with Stirling Moss – but he had this one-off design for Monaco and he used our pictures. They’re all from the Sutton Archive taken from David Phipps who started in 1960 and retired in 1985. We bought the archive back in 2000 and these actual pictures we only found two years ago because they were large format and much better quality. The whole helmet got huge publicity and we were very honoured that Seb used them.

After a Red Bull function on the Thursday night it was quite late and I decided to wander down and shoot the motorhomes. It was the first time we’ve seen them this season – none have really changed – but with the really nice sky it made for nice shots. The point was to show how hard the teams work in to the night, but this Lotus one is actually empty! I just shot away without a tripod, just used the light and kept it quite steady, while the exposure on the motorhome is what helps give the sky that colour.

The photographers get allowed up on the roof on a Friday when the SEAT hospitality isn’t being used, and it opens up a number of different pictures. I was just doing a shot of the drivers coming down the pit lane as they test how quickly they can approach the pit lane limiter line. Nico came down at full whack and locked up completely because drivers would get pit-lane speeding fines if they are over the limit. They have to find the braking point, though, as you could save a tenth of a second or two and that’s important in the race. Of course, if you get it wrong and are speeding in the pit lane in the race you can get penalised too, so you’ve got to get it right.

It was quite weird because I’d just wandered down the paddock and saw all the drivers and team principals walking towards me. It was late for them all to meet, so I thought something might have been going on and went up the pit lane to find out. Eventually it turned out it was an FIA initiative that was being supported by all the teams, so I went out on to the track. A marshal tried to stop me but I went past him and got a number of shots. It was all a bit hectic as there were people trying to get official photos and security moving us around, but there were only about six of us there and my shots promote what was happening. I think all the agencies should be allowed in for this sort of thing; we do things like this column and get the initiatives exposure.

It seemed to me that the DRS was allowing moves a lot earlier on the main straight, but I waited in position as I saw Raikkonen close on Vettel and he got the move done at Turn One. The crowd went mad when Raikkonen overtook him, but it was interesting to see how he did it. I followed it completely down the straight on the 500, and you can see Raikkonen takes the kerb on the inside on the first frame and then he pushes Vettel on to the kerb at Turn Two. I think it took a lot of respect from Vettel to let him come through, as he could have tried to run Raikkonen wide but held his line. It was good, clean racing and a nice sequence.

I like this shot because the sun is reflecting on to Fernando’s face and you can see some of the team, fans and grandstands in the reflection. He was partly in the shade and partly in the sun during the podium ceremony, which means different lights are affecting him as he moves around. This shot just shows how big the trophy is, and it’s like he’s looking at his own reflection in the trophy as the sunlight reflects up and lights his face.

I like this photo because it’s from a different angle. I actually shot this from the media centre! We knew the team photo was coming up but I was busy working when someone text me saying ‘Why don’t you shoot it from above in the media centre?’ I took it from the side which gave it a nice angle, you can see all the photographers at work too, the flash going off lifts it and you can even see the cargo crates as teams start packing up.